Lockdowns all through the COVID-19 pandemic imply that many people throughout the globe are left with out entry to important well being providers. With assist from the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, the UN Refugee agency, in collaboration with companions like Africa Humanitarian movement, works to assist refugees entry the care they want.
offering well being options all through the Pandemic
When Uganda imposed a lockdown in March 2020 to include the unfold of COVID-19, Yakobo Kahesi needed to double his neighborhood outreach efforts to assist sick refugees entry well being care providers in Kampala. The Ugandan capital is house to over ninety,000 refugees.
“As a entrance-line well being worker, I made a various to be out regionally and save lives,” says Kahesi. “however I didn’t cease worrying with reference to the unknown.”
With a background in public well being and larger than 10 years of expertise in working with refugees, Kahesi is serving as a medical operations supervisor with Africa Humanitarian movement (AHA), a companion group of UNHCR, the UN Refugee agency.
With assist from UNHCR and the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, AHA was in a place to assist refugees in Kampala entry major well being care, tertiary stage care, sexual and reproductive well being care, HIV/AIDS remedy, and neighborhood well being providers. Their work grew to become rather extra essential all through the lockdown, as sufferers confronted extra challenges to entry hospitals and a lot-needed lifesaving care.
all through the lockdown, AHA supplied sufferers with shuttle providers between their properties and hospitals and coated the funds of refugees requiring emergency remedy in private well being services. Kahesi remembers a time when he organized a hospital referral for Agnes, a 50-12 months-outdated Burundian who suffered from extreme continuous again ache.
“She had reached a stage the place strolling or sitting was now not attainable,” says Kahesi, including that she may not afford to go to common checkups as she had misplaced her job ensuing from COVID-19 restrictions. “i am so comfortable we may assist get to the hospital earlier than it was too late.”
through UNHCR, the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund additionally helped AHA pay money for consciousness-elevating actions, sensitizing refugees about COVID-19 risks and safety measures. AHA was in a place to enhance the quantity of Village well being staff (VHT) volunteers to 230 and attain out to refugees inside the worst affected metropolis areas of Kampala. These neighborhood-primarily based well being workers have performed an important function all through the pandemic, sharing lifesaving messages with the communities, reporting constructive circumstances and conducting contact tracing.
Uganda hosts almost 1.5 million refugees, largely from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burundi. Some ninety 4% of the refugees stay in settlements in northern and southwestern Uganda, whereas the remaining 6% reside in Kampala. Uganda registered fifty two,957 COVID-19 circumstances as of June 5, 2021, collectively with 503 refugees.
The Ministry of well being launched the vaccination advertising campaign in mid-March 2021, aimed in the direction of immunizing forty nine% of the inhabitants, collectively with refugees. thus far, 706,726 people have obtained the major dose of vaccine, collectively with three,905 refugees, 2,036 well being workers, 1,940 lecturers, and 880 humanitarian workers involved inside the refugee response.
extra assist needed for Vaccinations
Now, larger than ever, it is essential for prime-income nations to step up and share doses through the COVAX facility and completely fund the entry to COVID-19 devices (ACT) Accelerator to be constructive that that susceptible populations can get vaccinated as quickly as attainable.
“I can’t conceal that there have been many tough days,” says Kahesi. “however, my day would on an everyday basis be made after I’d hear of the people we helped get to the hospital, like a mom holding her new little one little one in her arms. Her gratitude on the assist we supplied makes all of it worthwhile.”
This piece was supplied by UNHCR’s Wendy Kasujja and has been edited and revealed with permission.
Featured picture: Yonna Tukundane/ UNHCR